The study reviewed the impact of state (California) and federal paperwork mandates in special education through an analysis of the paperwork of 37 agencies and interviews with 120 special educators. Among findings of the study were the following: the special education agency was required to collect at least 75 data items on each student; agencies collected from 79 to 213 data items per student with the range partially due to the inconsistent language of the mandates; the time used to fill out placement paperwork was one tenth of the total placement time; and bottlenecks occurred in the placement and review processes but not in the paperwork. The executive summary of the report includes the principal findings and recommendations to local agencies, the State Department of Education, the state legislature, and the federal legislature. The main body of the report includes a review of the literature, the study methodology and sampling procedures, study results, and conclusions. Appended are the following items: "A Summary of Legal References for the Paperwork Requirements in Special Education;""Interview Questions;""Summary of Time Estimates;""Special Education Agencies Solicited and Included in the Samples;""Summary Table for the Typical Paperwork in Special Education;" and "Critique of the Forms Drafted by the Office of Special Education Forms Committee." (DB)